Dark Challenge. Christine Feehan. Dark Series – book 5

Darius went perfectly still. All at once he seemed every inch the predator he truly was. “I offered leadership over the family, Savage, not over me. I go my own way.”

“As do I. I meant no disrespect to you; indeed, Darius, I wish to learn of your history. I believe you are the brother of Gregori, our healer. He is a great man, not unlike yourself.” Julian grinned suddenly. “Gregori and I do not always get along either.”

Darius blinked, the only evidence of movement. “I cannot imagine why,” he muttered ruefully.

“I grow on you,” Julian assured.

“I do not think you should count too greatly on it,” Darius replied.

“The sun is rising, my friend. Let us go.”

“It will not be so easy living within my rule,” Darius cautioned softly.

Julian’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? As I answer only to my Prince, I think I shall find it an interesting experience.”

Darius began to dissolve into a fine mist. It was easier to travel without a body in the light of the sun. Even so, the brain insisted that the eyes were swelling, turning red, streaming in the terrible light.

* * *

Chapter Seven

The wind blew through the thick stand of trees, and the branches swayed, danced, and bent low to sweep the ground. The leaves rustled with a rush of sound, a glittering display of nature’s music. Below the earth the notes resounded, luring the two slumbering hunters back into the world. The two hearts began to beat simultaneously. The sun was slowly sinking below the line of the mountain.

There was a muffled blast as dirt spewed high into the air, first one geyser, then, several feet away, a second one. When the dust and soil settled, two elegantly clad men stood facing one another. One was a golden menace, the other dark and dangerous. White teeth gleamed as they silently acknowledged each other.

“My sister?” Darius got down to his chief concern.

“She will sleep until this distasteful task is completed,” Julian answered, his glittering eyes finding the exact spot where Desari lay beneath the earth.

“You are certain of this?” Darius arched an expressive eyebrow skeptically.

Julian’s golden eyes iced over, cold and harsh. “I can handle my own lifemate—make no mistake about that.”

If Darius had been able to feel amusement, he was certain this would be the moment. Dara was an ancient, a direct descendant of the original Dark One. She might be a female, one of tremendous compassion and goodness, but she was far more powerful than Julian was giving her credit for.

“Have you known many of the females of our race?” Darius asked with deceptive mildness.

“No. Very few remain. They are guarded at all times, as they should be. It is almost unheard of for a woman to be unattached after her eighteenth year.”

Darius swung around to stare at Julian. “This is the truth? Eighteen is not yet a fledgling—in truth, yet a child. How can this be?”

Julian shrugged his broad shoulders. “With so few women, so few children born to our kind and surviving, with little hope and so many males on the verge of turning, it is the only safe thing to do. Any unclaimed woman is too unsettling.”

“But the woman could not possibly hope to contend with a powerful male at such a young age. She would barely have had the time to learn the most simple of our gifts. How could she develop her own talents and skills?” Darius sounded a bit disgusted with the males of his own race.

Julian’s golden eyes glittered for a moment. “If you found one who gave you back colors and emotions, who brought your dead soul to life and showered it with light, would you be able to walk away from her because she was yet a fledgling? Perhaps her skills are not developed, but her body is that of a woman, and any male under the circumstances would be more than happy to spend centuries aiding her in the learning.” His body was beginning to shimmer, to dissolve into tiny droplets of moisture. “What are you waiting for, old man? If you did not get enough sleep, I assure you, I can handle this task on my own.”